Max Eisenhardt (Earth-616)
__TOC__ Real Name: Magnus (allegedly) Nicknames: The Master of Magnetism Former Aliases: The Creator, Erik Lehnsherr, Michael Xavier, White Pilgrim, Erik the Red Other Current Aliases: Erik Magnus Lehnsherr Status Occupation: Revolutionary and conqueror, former ruler of Genosha, formerly volunteer orderly, secret agent Legal Status: Criminal record in the United States, later overturned by the courts; still wanted internationally as an outlaw Identity: Secret Marital Status: Widower Group Affiliation: Currently None, formerly Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, X-Men, teacher of the New Mutants, Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, leader of the Acolytes, employer of Mutant Force Base of Operations: Currently Castle Magnus in Genosha, formerly Asteroid M; various hidden bases on Earth including one beneath an active volcano in Antarctica; an island in the Bermuda Triangle; Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York Origin Place of Birth: Unrevealed, probably somewhere in Northern Europe Known Relatives: Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver, son), Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch, daughter), Anya (daughter, deceased), Lorna Dane (aka Polaris, alleged daughter), Luna (granddaughter), Crystal (daughter-in-law), Vision ('son'-in-law), Magda (wife, deceased) First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #1 Origin: Magneto is a mutant, born with special powers into a gypsy family in 1928 History The man now known as Magnus spent his early teens imprisoned with his family at the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland. The only member of his family to survive the camp, Magnus here learned how brutally human beings could treat minorities whom they considered different. After World War II Magnus married a woman named Magda and they had a daughter, Anya. He also apparently changed his name. When a mob prevented Magnus from rescuing Anya from dying in a fire, he used his powers to destroy them all in revenge. Terrified by her husband's powers and threats of vengeance against humanity, Magda fled, never having revealed to him that she was pregnant. She apparently died soon after giving birth to twins, Wanda and Pietro. Eventually Magnus went to Israel, where he worked as a volunteer orderly at a psychiatric hospital for Holocaust victims and where he first met and became friends with Charles Xavier. Magnus and Xavier frequently debated the subject of mutants' coexistence with the rest of humanity. After the two men joined forces to rescue their friend Gabrielle Haller from Baron Strucker and his HYDRA agents, Magnus left for parts unknown. After being betrayed by the intelligence agents with whom he worked, Magnus began planning his campaign against the human race. Years later Magnus reemerged as Magneto, determined to conquer the human race to prevent their oppression of mutants as the self-proclaimed savior of mutantkind. Xavier's original team of X-Men thwarted his first public move in his war with humanity, the takeover of the Cape Citadel missile base. When they next clashed, Magneto was leading his original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which included Wanda and Pietro, now known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Not until years later would Magneto learn that they were actually his children. At one point Magneto genetically engineered a being called Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, who rebelled against him and turned Magneto back into an infant. Xavier gave the baby into the care of his colleague geneticist Moira MacTaggert, who tampered with the infant's mind in the hope that he would grow up to become a better man. Years later, the Shi'ar Davan Shakari, alias Erik the Red, returned Magneto to adulthood, albeit one younger than before. Magneto thereafter had a series of battles with Xavier's new team of X-Men. Eventually, however, MacTaggert's manipulation of his mind had a delayed effect. Magneto underwent a crisis of conscience, gave up his plans of world conquest, and became the X-Men's ally. When he found himself dying, Xavier asked Magneto to take over his School for Gifted Youngsters. Xavier was then taken into outer space to be healed by Shi'ar science, and Magneto became the mentor of Xavier's latest group of students, the New Mutants. In time, though, Magneto's former personality slowly began to return. He abandoned the New Mutants and allied himself with the X-Men's foes in the Hellfire Club. He and the X-Man Rogue for a time developed a close relationship in the Savage Land. Ultimately, Magneto renewed his war with the human race and the X-Men, and gathered about him a new team of mutant underlings, the Acolytes, who virtually worshipped him. An attempt to counteract him with satellites was met with a powerful electromagnetic pulse. Xavier and a select team of X-Men traveled to the orbiting Avalon base to confront him. During the battle, Magneto used his powers to extract the adamantium molecules from Wolverine's skeleton, causing him tremendous agony. Infuriated, Xavier used his mental powers to shut down Magneto's mind. For a time the Acolytes cared for Magneto at their orbiting base, but when it was destroyed, Magneto returned to Earth. Subsequently, an amnesiac man emerged who called himself Joseph, possessing powers over magnetism, and the appearance of Magneto if he were still in his twenties. He joined the X-Men, who believed him to be Magneto, somehow rejuvenated and reformed. Joseph himself came to believe he was Magneto, until the real Magneto reappeared and began his campaign of terror against the human race anew. Magneto later revealed his real name is not Erik Lehnsherr; he changed his name through an elaborate forgery. Magneto was given rulership of the island nation of Genosha. However, after the Legacy Virus was cured, Magneto sought to raise an army of millions of mutants. Jean Grey formed an interim X-Men team that was barely able to stop him, with Wolverine again striking a critical blow. Magneto was still wheelchair-bound when new Sentinels attacked Genosha. While he was believed dead an impostor wreaked havoc in New York City. Unknown to the public, Magneto eventually found his way out of the rubble and was apparently contacted by Xavier. The two sought to help rebuild Genosha, but the Scarlet Witch's lost her grip on reality, leading Magneto to come to her aid. In the House of M, Magnus ruled the world from Genosha. At the culmination of events, he was left powerless along with most of the world's mutant population. The X-Men left him in Genosha. Characteristics Height: 6' 2" Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg) Eyes: Blue-Grey Hair: Silver Unusual Features: Magneto has been literally rejuvenated by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, so that despite his much greater chronological age, he appears still to be a relatively young man. Powers Known Powers: Arguably the most powerful man on the planet, Magneto is a mutant with the superhuman power of electro-magnetokinesis. He can shape and manipulate magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially, allowing him to lift and move heavy objects, control ferrous particles in the atmosphere, and even alter the Earth's magnetic field. He can erect electro-magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability, protecting himself or others from almost any psionic, energy, or physical attack. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances), though much of his abilities seem to result from an extremely high level of electrolytes in his bloodstream interacting with the environment. Magneto's power is for all practical purposes limitless. Even before his rejuvenation, Magneto once lifted a cargo freighter weighing 30,000 tons 50 feet into the air from a distance of 300 feet away. With the primal forces of nature at his command, Magneto has stopped armies, raised islands from ocean floors, moved mountains and threatened to devastate the world with apocalypitc floods and earthquakes. Magneto once blanketed half the globe with a self-generated electro-magnetic pulse that caused widespread devasation. Magneto can use his magnetic powers in more than one way simultaneously. He can completely assemble a complicated machine within seconds through his powers. Although Magneto often gestures when using his magnetic powers, he can utilize them fully even when standing totally still merely by concentrating. Although Magneto's primary power is magnetism, he seems to have some ability to project or manipulate any form of energy that is related to magnetism. He can fire bolts of electricity and create enough intense heat as infrared radiation to destroy a metal door, as he is able to manipulate the entire electro-magnetic spectrum. In addition, he can create anti-gravity fields, and does so whenever he levitates non-magnetic objects. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism, so perhpas it is more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy. Magneto also possesses minor psychic abilities, such as the ability to create a nearly impenetrable psychic shield for protection against psionic attack or the ability to astrally self-project. Magneto's ability to wield his superhuman powers effectively is dependent upon his physical condition. When severely injured, his body is unable to withstand the strain of manipulating great amounts of magnetic forces. Known Abilities: An evil mastermind, Magneto is a genius within various scientific fields. He is an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, or create adult clones of human beings and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has created artificial living beings, designed magnetically-powered skycraft and spacecraft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators. Magneto is a skilled strategist and has more than a rudimentary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. Strength Level: Magneto possesses the normal human strength of a man his age (i.e., rejuvenated age), height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. However, using his magnetic abilities, he can imbue himself with superhuman strength to the extent that he is capable of lifting in excess of 100 tons. Miscellaneous Equipment: Magneto's helmet is built to shield his mind from psychic probes and manipulation. Transportation: In the past magneto has used a number of exotic aerial vehicles of his own design. He often flies by levitating his own costume, which is made of magnetic materials. Weapons: Magneto relies primarily on his own natural powers, although sometimes he has used magnetically-powered devices of his own design, such as his machine for inducing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from afar. Magneto used to use mechanical devices for magnifying his own powers, but since his rejuvenation he no longer needs them. Notes * No special notes. Related Articles * Professor X * Brotherhood of Evil Mutants * Scarlet Witch * Quicksilver External Links * References * Marvel Directory ---- Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Bad Characters Category:Secret Identity Category:Mutant Characters Category:Silver Hair Category:Blue Eyes Category:Widowed Characters Category:Silver Age Category:Brotherhood members Category:Hellfire Club members Category:Acolyte members